Depression

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HealthWiki > Promoting Community Mental Health > Chapter 2: Stresses affect mental health > Depression

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In this chapter:

 

In this chapter:

• Chapter 2: Stresses affect mental health
• Dealing with all the stress
• Being there for people
• Anxiety
• Trauma
• Grief and loss
• Depression

It is natural to feel sad at different times—when a friend or family member is very ill or dies, when you lose a job, when a relationship or marriage ends unhappily, or after a serious event or tragedy. In these situations, sadness can last for days or weeks, or it can come and go (see “Grief and loss”.)

Depression, however, is different than sadness that follows a difficult event or from feeling distressed by the state of the world. Depression is when feelings that include sadness, hopelessness, or numbness are present all the time.

You may have depression if sadness lasts for weeks, if you feel useless or hopeless, or if you don’t want to leave the house or even get out of bed. Depression sometimes doesn’t feel like sadness at all, but more like being in a fog where nothing seems important. Depression is a serious medical condition that affects a person’s life, ability to make decisions, and ability to function.

A person with any of these signs that do not go away may have depression. Even if it is not depression, they will need help and support:

• feeling sad most of the time, feeling hopeless, or being numb to feelings
• sleeping too much or too little
• difficulty thinking clearly
• feeling guilty
• feeling like crying or crying frequently for no apparent reason
• loss of interest in activities that a person used to enjoy, including eating, spending time with others, and sex
• lack of energy for daily activities

Severe depression is when depression lasts a long time and strongly interferes with a person’s ability to function. If someone has been talking to you or others a lot about death or suicide, then take them seriously. Try to talk with them to see what kind of help they think they need.

Some people are embarrassed to be depressed and do not want anyone to know how badly they feel. But depression is an illness, not a sign of weakness, and is no one’s fault. Let them know that you are OK with them as they are and that you believe there are things that could help them feel better that they have a right to access.

Help for someone with depression

Although it is hard to believe while in the midst of it, a person experiencing depression can “get their life back.” This is true even when depression is a long-term condition that will likely stay a part of their life. Finding the right support and treatment is key.

Talk therapy. For some people, coping with or healing from depression is helped by counseling or other types of talk therapy, being part of a support group, or working in social change groups.

Movement or touch. Some people are also helped by addressing how mental health is felt in the body. Techniques include focusing on the body during talk therapy and touch therapies that provide insights or release.

Medicines called anti-depressants are sometimes combined with the other types of therapy, especially if symptoms are severe. Figuring out if medicines or other treatments will work and which best suits a person is a process. Having an ongoing connection with the same health worker or team of people allows changes to be made over time to adjust the treatment, medicine, or dose. Medicines do not work for everyone, and the use of medicines can create problems too. It is important to remember: the social conditions that cause many mental health problems will not be fixed by medicines, but by social change.

Asking even a trusted person for help can be very hard for a person with depression because the condition itself often makes people feel unable to do anything. This makes support from others even more important. It can be a big relief to find someone who knows what depression is like, who can offer accompaniment, and who can help find the services available for people with depression.

Preventing mental distress in LGBTQ+ youth

LGBTQ+ youth in the US are more likely to experience depression and other mental health problems, a situation made worse without support from family and friends. Teachers and school staff may notice challenges faced by students in the process of defining their gender identity and sexuality. School-based efforts, such as Genders & Sexualities Alliances clubs, can provide support, protect students from mental health stressors, and prevent some young people from developing depression. It takes courage, but these and other efforts are especially important when LGBTQ+ communities are under attack.

Build a supportive network of adults at your school so that students have safe places to be. Let the students determine if they want to be activists or if they want to put all their energy toward supporting each other. Even if attendance is low, keep publicizing the meetings. Just announcing it in the weekly school bulletin can be enough to let an LGBTQ+-identifying kid know there are people out there who care.

A place to just be yourself. Color Splash Out is a camp program in Texas where young people have fun and also get support as they think about their gender identity. The affordable program is run by counselors with a variety of gender identities who help kids feel OK about being exactly who they are, even if they don't have a name for it yet. Kids appreciate being nurtured in a way they can carry back to other parts of their lives: “Having friends here who get me makes school tolerable when I’m back home.”

Pushing back on what pushes people into depression

Conditions that make depression more likely include:

• living with constant stress or worrying about meeting basic needs, such as access to housing, health care, safety, and food.
• experiencing something terrible or that feels catastrophic, such as major loss or severe illness.

Community efforts to lower everyone’s stress and insecurity (the focus of Chapter 1, “Building community builds mental health”) will improve conditions and make it more likely everyone has someone or a network of people they can turn to when they need support. Strong friendships, knowing your neighbors, and quality workplace relationships are important parts of what keeps depression away. The community-building we can do to push back against isolation and disconnectedness makes a big difference.

This page was updated:18 Apr 2025